Jared Moskowitz crosses $1M in donations, outraises Republican opponent 10-to-1

Jared Moskowitz turned in another banner year. Image via Jared Moskowitz.

Democrat Jared Moskowitz’s campaign to represent South Florida in Congress passed the $1 million threshold for money raised, and Republican Joe Budd just hit the $100,000 mark by that same time period, according to the latest fundraising reports.

It’s a lopsided battle to succeed Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch to represent the district that stretches from Boca Raton to Fort Lauderdale, taking in the coastal areas in between, in addition to Coral Springs, Margate and Parkland, as well as parts of Coconut Creek and Oakland Park. Two candidates with no party affiliation are also in the race to represent Florida’s 23rd Congressional District, with their bids garnering minimal support.

After winning the Democratic Primary, Moskowitz became heavily favored to win the congressional seat, as President Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump among the district’s voters by 13 percentage points, according to Matt Isbell, an elections data analyst with MCI Maps.

And Moskowitz’s fundraising reports certainly reflect that reality.

Moskowitz, who was first elected to the Parkland City Commission at age 25, raised $141,196 for the period covering Aug. 4 to Sept. 30. That’s a slowdown from the pace he was raising money before beating five other Democrats. Between July 1 and Aug. 3, he raised $200,713.

Thirty-one donors sent him the maximum $2,900 allowed now that the Primary has passed. Notable names among those maxed-out donors include Marc Bell, a Boca Raton financier and producer of the Tony Award-winning musical, Jersey Boys, and Tony Award-winning play August: Osage County, and Marshall Field V of Chicago, a scion of the family that started the upscale department store Marshall Field’s.

Moskowitz gained national recognition leading the state’s Division of Emergency Management, leading the response to a series of hurricanes and the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

He recently received contributions from a wide range of political committees, with the largest amount, $9,000, coming from the New Democrat Coalition Action Fund, a conduit based in Washington and dedicated to electing a Democratic majority. He also received $5,000 donations from Florida Power & Light’s political arm in Washington, the American Federation of Teachers, and AmeriPac: The Fund for a Greater America, also based in Washington.

Two Congressmen representing California also sent Moskowitz’s campaign support. U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu, based in Los Angeles, sent him $2,000, and U.S. Rep. Tony Cárdenas, who represents the San Fernando Valley, sent $1,000.

Moskowitz’s spending slowed down post-Primary even more than his fundraising. Over the last period, his spending averaged $6,251 per day, compared to the $15,319 per day his spending averaged over the previous reporting period.

Of the $362,600 spent during this period, the biggest proportion went to Impact Politics LLC in Woodland Hills, California, where he spent $73,833 for an unspecified “media buy.” Nearly $50,000 was spent with MDW Communications in Fort Lauderdale. That vendor’s money was split between video production services, digital consulting services, and SMS fundraising services, with about $20,000 going to the latter two items.

Mission Control in Glastonbury, Connecticut provided $47,420 worth of direct mail printing and postage. Combined with the $12,840 the campaign spent with Mike Pratt of Hollywood for campaign sign printing, nearly 20% of the campaign’s total expenditures for this period went to reaching out to voters with traditional mailers and signs.

In contrast, about 13% went for items that were specifically geared toward digital outreach, such as $20,416 spent on fundraising through texting.

Moskowitz’s campaign also paid back $50,000 of a $300,000 loan the candidate made. After those expenses, Moskowitz’s campaign had $120,528 on hand. That’s in addition to the holdings of a PAC that’s supporting his campaign, Moving Broward Forward, which has raised a total of $267,000 since it was first formed on May 2 and now holds $178,960.

In the third quarter, it received three donations. Randal Perkins of Deerfield Beach, Chairman of the disaster recovery company AshBritt Environmental, donated $50,000 to Moving Broward Forward. PRFAPI National LLC of Marathon gave $18,000, and Kevin Rader of Delray Beach, who works for Brown & Brown Insurance, gave $7,000.

Meanwhile, reports show the Republican candidate for this congressional seat that straddles Broward and Palm Beach counties loaned his campaign $5,500, bringing the total he has loaned his campaign to $55,000.

Budd is a wealth manager who also ran as the Republican nominee for the seat in 2010. He started the Club 45 USA, a group dedicated to advancing the cause of former President Trump. He’s also active in local Republican Party politics.

The Republican Party of Palm Beach County gave Budd’s campaign $5,000. He also received the maximum $2,900 donation from Michael Barnard, a Boca Raton dentist, and Luz Barnard, a Boca Raton dental assistant. Lake Worth retiree James Edwards gave him $5,800, the maximum donation allowed for contributing to the Primary and the General Election.

Most of the money Budd spent on his campaign this period went toward direct mail. He paid Election AdEdge Agency in West Palm Beach $25,638 for it. Between Aug. 4 and Sept. 30, Budd spent a total of $42,847, leaving him with $4,578 on hand for the remainder of the campaign.

Records show that Christine Scott, a businesswoman with no party affiliation, raised $30,769 this period and spent $30,769, leaving her with $30.21 on hand.

Mark Napier, another NPA candidate who is a former CIA agent and military veteran, raised $3,152 and spent $3,712, leaving his campaign $206 in the hole.

The campaigns faced a Saturday deadline to report all financial activity through Sept. 30.